The Black Watchmen

The Black Watchmen is a Massively Multiplayer Online Permanent Alternate Reality Game (MMOPARG) that can be played at any time. It uses the real world as its game world, blurring the lines between fiction and reality, turning everyday interactions into game mechanics. The game is played on websites, newspaper ads, phone calls, text messages, and in real world locations. Embedded on as many media outlets, in as many parts of the world as possible, players will be challenged to uncover solutions to a wide variety of puzzles. The successful completion of live missions will require the community to collaborate on difficult puzzles and time-sensitive assignments.

A truly interactive experience, game content will be produced as a direct result of community actions. So whether the community fails to save the Agency’s second-in-command, or chooses to ally themselves with an evil occult group, the storyline will evolve to reflect those decisions. By simply playing the game, players have a visible impact on the direction of the game’s development.

The Black Watchmen storyline is an evolving, user-influenced narrative. The game releases new content on a two week release schedule, allowing for the game to be impacted as a direct result of the players and their actions. Simply by playing the game, you are able to influence the direction of the game’s development. Unlike past ARGs, The Black Watchmen is not tied to promoting a product, so the story can progress in any way imaginable.

Join the Black Watchmen forces in a series of challenges involving real world and in-game puzzles, geo-caching, research and hacking. Based on the ‘authorization’ level you give, your real life becomes part of the storyline, from simple text messages to a black SUV parked in front of your house.

The Black Watchmen Game Features

Mission Hub – An interface to receive briefings and complete single-player missions, such as cracking codes, hacking websites, or investigating bizarre occurrences and secret societies. You are in control over how far you wish this digital story to occupy your real life.

Live Missions: You always need to be ready, a live mission could start at any time: a flashing TV screen, a bizarre phone call, or a radio jingle could signal the start of a massive, international collaboration of agents–all rushing to solve the same problem before it’s too late. The narrative of the game is fluid; it changes based on the actions of the community. So remember, every decision has its consequences.

Transmedia Gameplay: Beyond the client itself, the game is played using websites, newspaper ads, phone calls, text messages and interactions with living NPCs. The narrative intertwines with historical facts and current events, constantly asking the player to question whether or not something confronted in the game (a website, a company, or even a person) is ‘real.’

Collaboration: Some missions can be completed alone, while others require the cooperation and orchestration of agents around the world.

Companion App: The game can be played exclusively on your computer; but if you want a deeper level of immersion, you can opt in to receive SMS, phone calls, packages, or even meet with in-game characters in the real world, expanding the magic circle and the game’s playfield, bringing the game to levels of Augmented Reality.

The World of The Black Watchmen

As an agent of The Black Watchmen, you are part of a paramilitary group dedicated to protecting the public from dangerous phenomena beyond human understanding: ritualistic murder, occult secret societies, and the paranormal, to name but a few.

The Black Watchmen is a global organization that offers a wide range of skills and services for covert missions anywhere in the world, on behalf of any group, corporation or government that can afford them. Often called in as a last resort, the Black Watchmen pride themselves on their discretion, strength and efficiency.

To maintain objectivity in the field, agents are never informed of the identity of the client. You are given only mission parameters and told how to distinguish friend from foe, but the lines are often blurred…

Your skills and ingenuity will be put to the test with every mission. But fear not, you are not alone. Some puzzles and investigations can be solved by a single player, while others will require the help of fellow agents, or even the cooperation of the entire community.